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Understanding Society and Culture Through Eating
從飲食角度理解社會和文化
An excerpt from Consuming Passions: The Anthropology of Eating
消費激情的摘錄：飲食人類學
All animals feed but humans alone eat. A dog wolfs down every meal in the same way, but humans behave in a variety of ways while eating. In North American and European societies, for example, business negotiations are conducted over cocktails and lunch; seductions may begin with champagne and oysters; wedding and birthday parties center around an elaborately decorated cake; and gifts of food are part of the exchange at Christmas time. In simpler societies, eating is associated with initiation and burial rites, the roles of the sexes, economic transactions, hospitality, and dealings with the supernatural—virtually the entire spectrum of human activity. ...
所有的動物都吃東西，但只有人類懂得飲食。一只狗會以同樣的方式狼吞虎咽地吃下每一頓飯，但是人類在用餐時的行為卻是多種多樣的。例如，在北美洲和歐洲社會，商業洽談是通過雞尾酒會和午餐會的形式進行的；種種誘惑都是以香檳酒和牡蠣開始的；婚禮和生日聚會上，人們會把一個制作精美的蛋糕放在正中央；圣誕節時，食物也被人們用作相互贈送的禮物。在比較簡單的社會中，飲食和人們生與死的儀式、兩性的角色、經濟往來、待客風俗，以及人們對超自然現象的理解都有聯系——事實上，飲食涉及人類活動的方方面面……
